


Sea Turtles of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

by Kristina_Moon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Challenge to raise moral consciousness, Possible Death of Major Character, Sea Turtle Petition (at end of story)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 14:23:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3853996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kristina_Moon/pseuds/Kristina_Moon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sea Turtle AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sea Turtles of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr is seaturtlebay.tumblr.com  
> Tracking tag "Fic: SToFLF"
> 
> This is a one shot. 
> 
> Once years ago, I was fortunate enough to live in Hawai'i. I saw a sea turtle heading up stream to spawn. I was impressed by it's size and surprised to learn that this creature is on the endangered species list. 
> 
> Recently, the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is working on spending money to fund one of the dumbest projects I've ever heard of. Instead of just changing the type of lighting the city uses along it's beach front, it is trying to circumvent the law and change the instinctual habits of an ancient creature by relocating sea turtles to new spawning grounds. 
> 
> You see, tiny turtles head in land toward the lights instead of out to sea like they need to in order to survive. Changing the type of lighting would prevent this. So instead of taking the simplest of routes, the city is spending millions to change the turtles. Ugh! 
> 
> (Sometimes I really wonder if humans are the smartest or the dumbest animals on the face of the planet!)
> 
> Help me stop this city from setting a precedent that would only encourage others to take the stupid route. Change the damned lighting! Don't try to change the tiny sea turtles!
> 
> Thank you for your help:)

“What's that,” the tiny sea turtle Levi asks.

“What's what?”

“What's that over there? Those pretty glowing things, what are they?”

The sea turtle with the bright sea green eyes looks to see what his friend is referring to. His eyes grow wide! “No, Levi. Swim away from that! It's a trap.”

“Don't be silly, Eren. Let's go see what those are.”

“No, you don't understand. It's a trap. You're going the wrong way. Come back.”

But naturally, the tiny turtle heads in land instead of out to sea. He is confused by the lighting the humans have and finds himself beached a few minutes later. 

“Hey, Erwin, look what I found,” Hanji says as she runs along the beach. 

“Hanji, you know not to touch sea turtles. They're an endangered species,” Erwin states.

“But he's so cute. Can I keep him?”

“What did I just say? Don't you know what endangered means? That little guy is the last of his kind. You have to put him back out to sea or he'll die here. You don't want that, do you?”

“But Erwin, he's so darn cute! Can't I keep him?”

Erwin growls in frustration. “No! Now put him back.”

The moment Erwin's back is turned, Hanji slips the tiny sea turtle into her pocket. On the ride home, Levi tries several times to crawl out of the messy haired woman's pocket but time and time again, he is pushed back inside it.

When she returns home, Hanji makes a small area for the turtle to live in. She gives it a tiny bed, some lettuce, even a stuffed toy. The one thing she doesn't give it is sea water. It needs the sea to survive. A couple of days later Hanji reluctantly calls Erwin. “Eyebrows, I need your help,” she whispers into the phone.

“With what?”

“Well, remember when we were at the beach...”

“Hanji, you didn't capture and try to keep that tiny sea turtle you found, did you?”

“Maybe...”

“I'll be right there.” 

Once Erwin arrives at her house, he finds Hanji in tears. “I think he's dying, Erwin. What should I do?”

“A sea turtle is not a pet, Hanji. You have to take him back where you found him and release him back into the wild.”

“But he came to me.”

“He didn't come to you. He followed the lights. The city of Fort Lauderdale still hasn't installed the lighting that would prevent these tiny creatures from swimming towards land instead of out to sea like they should. He was just confused, Hanji. He didn't choose you on purpose.” 

“Can't you just help me nurse him back to health?”

“No. This is one of those decisions that you have to make for the good of the planet. If you keep this creature and he dies, you've killed an ancient and noble creature that's out lived the dinosaurs. If you return him to the sea and he lives to procreate, you've given his kind a fighting chance.”

“Aw, don't say it like that. You act as if the world depends on the decision I make,” she states.

“But don't you see, Hanji, that's exactly my point. The decision you make now effects the entire planet. He's a cute little fellow. Do you want his death on your conscious?”

“Here, take him. I can't bear to watch him die!”

“Come on. Bring the turtle. I'll help you return him to the sea,” Erwin adds finally.

Hanji and Erwin do return the tiny turtle back to the sea. Once Levi is in the water he starts to feel a little better. He sees the lights beckoning him the wrong way again and says, “Shitty glasses, you nearly killed me. What's wrong with your kind anyway?”

Just then Eren sea turtle swims up to him asking, “We thought you were a goner! Where have you been the last few days?”

“Struggling to survive,” Levi states. He sees another of his kind swimming toward the lights and says, “Hey, Petra, you're swimming right into a trap!”

“But those glowing orbs are so beautiful!”

*** The moral of this story is that sea turtles are not pets. They are an ancient species that have out lived the dinosaurs and are only dying out now because of mankind's stupidity. Be smart and help save the sea turtles from extinction. Click on the link below and sign the petition to save the sea turtles from mankind's stupidity. Thank you.

LINK: http://www.change.org/p/city-of-fort-lauderdale-s-t-o-p-playing-politics-with-the-lights


End file.
